Why does that always happen to us?
by 68hawkeyefan
Summary: The Avengers and the Legends meet each other.
1. Chapter 1

Why does that always happen to us?

The Avengers and the Legends meet each other.

This happens when I watch three seasons of Legends of Tomorrow *rolls eyes.

I wanted to try something new and don't know yet where this story will lead or when the next update is. Tell me how you find it.

For 'Avengers' = Post Avengers 2012

Coulson survived and is the new handler of the Avengers, Thor is back from Asgard and Hydra never infiltrated SHIELD, so Sitwell is a good guy.

For 'Legends of Tomorrow Leonard' Snart didn't die, he is my favourite character. This story sets in Season 3 before Earth X.

**Chapter 1**

The legends were in the time stream and waited for the next appearance of a time-anachronism as Gideon spoke, "Captain, there is a weird disturbance in the time stream, we will get hit in 5 seconds."

Routinely the team braced themselves against the impact and hold on to something and not a second too late. The strong impact throw the Waverider out of the time stream in the orbit of Earth.

Sara tried to control the crash with the help of Gideon, together they managed a secure landing on earth.

"Can't just one week go by where we don't crash our ship?" asked Mick bored.

"Where or when are we, Gideon?" asked Sara and ignored Mick with long practice.

"I'm sorry, Captain but I can't answer your questions. We are on Earth in the late year 2012 but as far as I can say, it is not our earth. I connected with the internet and there are recent events described like an invasion of aliens in New York and a hero group called the Avengers which fended the aliens off and defeated them." Gideon sounded baffled.

"Can it be a time deviation?" asked Martin.

"No, there are no signs for it. I think we are on a parallel earth with another history."

"So it is like with Supergirl's earth?" asked Nate excited.

"So it seems. We are on the American Continent near New York." Gideon hesitated. "Oh my, we have caught attention through our crash. An organisation called SHIELD attempts to get in contact with me."

"Can you go in stealth-modus?" asked Sara.

"No, it was damaged by the crash-landing as was the time machine. Unfortunately we need parts for the repair that we have not available on the ship."

"So we will need help", replied Sara resigned.

"Yes, Captain."

"Then let's hope that this SHIELD is friendly minded to people from other universes", said Leonard dispassionately and he did not look like he believed it.

"Let's hope", agreed Sara. "Put them on, Gideon."

A composed middle-aged man with receding hairline and calm eyes appeared. "I'm Agent Coulson of SHIELD. Who are you and what do you want?"

"I am Captain Sara Lance of the time ship Waverider. My team and I were in the time stream as a disturbance catapulted us out of it and on your earth", answered Sara calmly. She had decided to go with the truth because she liked the eyes of Agent Coulson.

"You said 'your earth'?" asked Agent Coulson.

Sara was impressed, only a light widening of the eyes was his reaction to her explanation. "Yes, we come from another earth. The AI of my ship connected with your internet and found historic events, which did not happen on our earth.

We call ourselves Legends; we watch over the timeline or hunt down time pirates who change events for their own gain." Sara shrugged.

"Sounds like fun."

"It can be but sometimes this life gets complicated", explained Sara.

Agent Coulson's eyes crinkled. "Don't I know it? How is your crew?"

"They are ok but the same can't be said about my ship. We need help with a few parts."

"Can we send two of our agents on your ship so that they can make an assessment of you and your crew? These agents have experience with first contact." Agent Coulson looked fierce for one moment. "I assume you know what I talk about?"

"Yes, Gideon told me about the invasion which you fended off. Are your agents part of the Avengers?"

"They are", answered Coulson proudly. Sara recognized it as a personal feeling. "Agents Natasha Romanov and Clint Barton are two of our best agents." Coulson hesitated shortly. "They are still a little bit jumpy especially Agent Barton."

"I understand", replied Sara, she appreciated the warning then that was it. "Will they be armed?"

Coulson sighed. "Honestly, yes, I can forbid that they are carrying weapons but it will not make a difference for you. Both agents are very good in acquiring or making weapons out of objects, which were never intended with this purpose in mind."

"So it is better that they carry their usual weapons and we can so demonstrate our good intentions", summed Sara up.

Agent Coulson smiled and the smile was to see in his eyes too. "In a nutshell, yes. And I wouldn't call their weapons usual." The screen went dark.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"That didn't sound ominous at all", said Jax sarcastically.

"He was warning us. Thoughts?" asked Sara.

"At least they want to talk first before they shoot", replied Martin. "It puts them a mile ahead of other organisations or people we have encountered."

"Yes they sound boring", said Mick.

"I found it interesting that he gave us the information that his agents are jumpy. Why give us the tip that his agents have weaknesses we could exploit?" asked Ray.

"Like Sara said, Agent Coulson was warning us, which means trying to exploit their alleged weaknesses could spectacular backfire", answered Snart quietly.

"Captain, a little ship approaches quickly", announced Gideon.

"Amaya, you will come with me", ordered Sara. "The rest of you stay on the bridge until we come back. Gideon, you observe our guests."

Sara and Amaya walked to the access hatch and opened it. They watched as the ship landed elegantly.

"A good pilot and a nice ship, fast and very quick to respond, I would like to fly it", said Sara impressed.

"Is this Earth ahead of you in matters of technology?" asked Amaya curious.

Sara sighed. "It is always difficult to say but a ship like this doesn't exist on our Earth."

A hatch at the rear of the ship opened and two people walked out.

"Gideon, are there other people on the ship?" asked Sara softly.

"No, Captain."

Both agents wore black leather suits with coloured elements, the elements from the woman's suit a dark red and from the man a dark purple.

The woman was elfin, slender and had red hair; she carried two pistols on her hips and had some kind of bracelets on her forearms.

The man was bigger and more compact; his suit was sleeveless and showed impressive muscular arms, he carried only one pistol on his hip but a bow in his hands and a quiver with arrows on his back.

"Huh, an archer", said Sara surprised and thought about Oliver. "I wonder how good he is."

"I imagine if it is his weapon of choice, very good", replied Amaya.

The woman walked straight to them, the man a step behind and at the side of the woman.

"I'm Natasha Romanov", introduced the woman herself. "This is Clint Barton. We are pleased to meet you." The man nodded politely but did not speak.

"I'm Sara Lance, the captain of the Waverider. This is Amaya Jiwe, a member of my crew, the rest waits for us on the bridge. We are pleased to meet you too. If you will follow me."

Sara turned her back on the agents and started moving. It did make her, a former assassin, nervous to let someone who she sensed was dangerous walk behind her. As hard as she was trying, she could not hear if the agents were following her but she could hear Amaya's steps and Sara knew that Amaya would walk behind the agents.

Amaya watched as the two agents followed Sara, their movements smooth and noiseless. It reminded her how Sara moved when she did fight, she would bet that both agents had a similar training.

She followed Barton in the same way he had followed Romanov and she had the eerie feeling that Barton could see her although she was behind him.

Both agents looked around as they followed Sara, there was no hesitation, no overt reaction to the technology they saw. They behaved as if they saw something like this every day.

As they arrived at the bridge, Amaya walked to her friends who were standing in a line. Barton walked until he was alongside Romanov, standing now opposite to the crew of the Waverider.

Sara positioned herself between the two parties. "Let me introduce the rest of my crew. Zari Tomaz, Martin Stein, Jefferson 'Jax' Jackson, Nate Heywood, Ray Palmer, Mick Rory and Leonard Snart."

As soon as their names was called the more polite members of the crew nodded or said 'Hi', Snart only blinked and Rory grunted.

Romanov took a step forward. "My name is Natasha Romanov; my partner is Clint Barton. I am a spy; he is a sniper and an expert marksman."

Sara blinked; it was a very peculiar way to introduce themselves. "I must admit I'm a little surprised."

Romanov smiled. "You were honest from the beginning we wanted to return the favour."

"So I assume that you rank higher than Agent Barton?" asked Sara.

"No, he is the senior agent because he is a SHIELD agent longer than I am. The reason I talk is, firstly, that making a first contact like this belongs more to my area of expertise." Natasha smirked. "And second, he doesn't like to talk if it is not necessary."

"A man after my own heart. Do you want a beer?" asked Mick loudly.

Sara closed her eyes and sighed. Rory could always be trusted to make a lasting first impression.

Therefore, she was surprised to hear a chuckle and to hear a deep voice answering. "Why not? Nothing says more over a man than what beer he likes."

This time sighed Romanov and both women changed long-suffering looks over the idiotic men they had to put up with every day.

Rory and Barton left the bridge and after a look from Sara Snart followed them.

"Would you like to see our ship?" asked Sara.

"Oh yes, I have never seen a time ship before. And if you want you can tell me about your home and where you come from." Natasha smiled at her and Sara smiled back. Both women left the bridge too.

The remaining legends looked at each other, shrugged and got back to their respective rooms or the places they were always to find.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Snart had understood Sara's silent order to watch the interactions between Mick and Barton but he had to admit that he was curious too. Agent Barton had a haunted expression in his eyes and Leonard was uncomfortable reminded of Mick's eyes after they got him back from the time masters.

There was confusion and a deep hurt because you have to live with consequences and repercussions of actions you would have never done on your own free will. Moreover, there was remorse, more remorse than he would characteristically see in Mick's eyes but he knew Mick too well to think that Mick was not capable of feeling regret.

Leonard now understood why Agent Coulson had warned them. This was a deeply traumatized man; there was no telling, how he would react when pushed too far und he finally snapped. Leonard would bet, it would be swift and very violent, he recognized a dangerous man when he saw one.

Mick walked to the replicator and ordered a six-pack. Barton sat at the table and laid his bow beside him on a chair. Mick put the six-pack on the table, gave Clint and Leonard a beer and sat down.

Leonard sat beside his friend, both leaving enough space between them and the man's bow. For Leonard a sure sign that Mick saw the same things he did, Mick had definitely changed in the last two years.

"So an alien invasion, huh? What happened?" asked Mick directly.

Ok, he did not change so much either, thought Leonard.

"A self-proclaimed god with the name Loki came to Earth, called us ants and wanted to free us from our greatest lie, freedom." The sarcasm was obvious. "He had a spear, when he touched you with it, you lost your free will and he had absolute control over you. He did not even have to say anything, it was enough for him to think it and you did everything for him. You would hurt and kill the people you would ordinarily fight and die for."

Oh yes, definitely reminded him of Mick after his time with the time masters.

"Brainwashing is a bitch, isn't it?" asked Mick morosely.

Clint looked at him and replied, "Yes, it is. As it turned out, he had a master and from him the task to build a big and stable wormhole for a full-scale invasion. He needed minions, a few missing items and distractions to set his plan in motion and I provided him with all these things."

Barton smirked humourlessly. "And I was very successful! I can honestly say that without me Loki would never have come so far."

Mick liked Barton they seemed to have a lot in common. "Well at least you put a stop to the invasion."

"Yeah, but it was very close and we were lucky."

Snart snorted. "Luck is always a part of a strategy, the rest is planning."

"The man doesn't go to a toilet without a plan", agreed Rory solemnly.

A ghost of a smile hushed over Barton's face. "Believe me, it was luck. The Avengers were busier with fighting each other than fighting Loki." Barton shook his head. "Or should I say, two of them or more precisely one is inherently an asshole and the other one was only three weeks out of the ice. Don't ask, it is a long story! Luckily my boss is good and creative in motivating people."

"Would that be Agent Coulson?" asked Leonard.

"No, Phil is my handler and my friend. Fury used him as motivation after he was nearly killed through Loki so that the Avengers would have something to avenge."

"Sounds cold." Leonard played with his bottle.

"He is a calculating man and he is not the director of Shield because he wants to win a popularity contest, he has a job to do." Clint shrugged; Fury's machinations did not bother him much. Firstly, he knew the man and secondly, Fury did not do it out of spite, he did it to protect people. "So how it is to travel through time?"

"The same. Bad guys who want to kill us, we crash every two weeks with our ship and then have to fight against those, we disturbed with our crash", said Rory nonchalantly.

"We broke the time as we wanted to save the world, now we have sometimes dinosaurs in the present time and one time Julius Caesar took over the world with knowledge of the future and we nearly lived in a reality where the Roman Empire still existed", added Leonard.

"You lead interesting lives", deadpanned Clint and Rory laughed.

Leonard did not know if he should be alarmed or pleased how quickly Mick took to this dangerous stranger. The last man he made so quickly friends with was an egomaniac who nearly had circumvented the existence of the USA.

"So what does an Agent of SHIELD do?" asked Leonard curious.

"We deal with the weird shit for what the regular spy organisations have too little imagination. We protect as a shield so that other people can go on with their life without worrying or knowing that are things out there, which will subjugate, transform or kill them. Regrettably we have failed in our duty because now everyone knows what is out there."

Interesting, Barton clearly believed in that what he said and he was proud to be a part of SHIELD. "So warding off invasions through Aliens is the usual for Shield?"

"I would not go this far. Honestly this was a little too weird even for SHIELD's standards; we never fought against gods or trained to withstand magic."

"Sounds for me like it wasn't your fault that Loki brainwashed you", said Leonard quietly.

Barton shrugged and did not answer, he clearly thought otherwise.

"What happened with him?"

"His adoptive brother brought him back to Asgard, his home world, where I hope he gets his just punishment."

"You said that you would everything which Loki asked of you, even hurt and kill your friends. How many of them did you kill? Or do you mean colleagues?"

"I killed too many of my colleagues and innocent bystanders who were in the way of Loki's plans. And it was only luck that I didn't kill Fury, Maria, Phil or Natasha as I had the opportunity."

"Hm, so you had the opportunity to kill them but all of them were lucky, that sounds a little too improbable for me." Leonard watched Barton carefully and saw how the man opened his mouth to reply but then closed it again.

"I think you feel guilty for things you had no control over and are not proud enough of the things you prevented or withstood."

"Why didn't you talk to me the same way as I was in the Waverider's cell?" asked Mick mock offended.

"Firstly because you wouldn't have reacted well if I tried to talk to you this way because you were angry with me. Secondly, talking was never you preferred method of dealing with things like this."

Mick lifted his bottle as a silently concession.

Barton had looked back and forth between them, his attentive eyes not missing a thing, dangerous indeed. Leonard was interested to know what Barton had taken from this exchange between Mick and him.

"Huh, Captain Lance is certainly a remarkable woman, she and Natasha will go along as a house on fire", was however the only thing Barton said about it.

"Another beer?" asked Rory.

"Yes, with pleasure."

The three men serenely continued to drink together after they had taken each other's measure.


	4. Chapter 4

_I had a little time to write so you get a new chapter a little earlier._

**Chapter 4**

Sara watched Natasha out of the corners of her eyes. Now that she could see her movements, Sara would bet her Waverider that Natasha had a training as an assassin too.

"Where do you want to start?"

"Simply show me what you like", answered Natasha and smiled at her. "But I suggest we avoid the room where my partner is with your crew members."

"Oh believe me, that was the plan. After the tour through the ship will be time enough to eat there. We start with the machine room so you can see the damage for yourself."

"Thank you. Is this your ship?"

"In a way I inherited it, although the former owner is still alive. After he was gone, it gave discussions who should be Captain and a few of the others tried their luck." Sara smirked. "Let's say they were smart enough to acknowledge that it was not their thing and I should be Captain because I could make decisions."

"Then they are a lot smarter than many of the men I met." Natasha scoffed. "I don't know how many times men believed I couldn't defend myself because I was smaller than them."

"I so agree but it is again and again fun to watch their reactions if you teach them the opposite and wipe the ground with them."

Both women laughed.

"And, is Clint one of the men who was smart?"

"Oh, Clint is one of few people which I see as my equal and who I respect. SHIELD sent him to kill me because I used my skills in an unsavoury way. He had me in the sights and then he offered me the chance to work for SHIELD. He vouched for me and they listened, the rest is history. Without him I were dead."

"Wow. This I didn't expect."

Natasha shrugged. "It takes everyone by surprise. How long are you the Captain of this ship?"

"Now almost two years. It can be very challenging."

"Tell me about it. Your crew is very dissimilar. It must be sometimes difficult to make them respect you."

"I never had many difficulties to get their respect, it helps when you have a training as an assassin."

"I agree, it is not a profession, which is very common. How did it happen if I may ask?"

"I was young and stupid, I made with the friend of my sister a journey with a ship and it went down. Pirates rescued me, they did take me as a prisoner and with a few detours and complications I landed by the assassins, where I started my apprenticeship.

Too make a long and complicate story short, I died, got resurrected through a pond and have now sometimes problems with my anger management even though I have it now better under control."

Natasha walked silent for a few minutes, without doubt pounding over Sara's words. In between Sara showed her the machine room, the library, the room where they replicated their epoch appropriate clothing and other things she thought would interest Natasha. She talked, explained and gave a few anecdotes over their early adventures for the best, which made Natasha laugh, and which she returned with stories of her own.

It was between two decks and with no other in sight when Natasha started to talk. "I was five as my parents were killed and I was taken by the Red Room, an organisation in the Soviet Union. They taught us to kill, to seduce, to lie and to manipulate everyone around us.

If you failed in your tests, you got killed, often enough through girls you thought of as friends. The instructors did not want us to have other obligations or loyalties to others than to the Red Room.

As I started, we were sixty girls, as I graduated it remained only three. As part of the graduation, they sterilized you.

As the Soviet Union crashed, the Red Room sold our services to the highest bidder. After a few years, I had enough and escaped, I worked freelance and made a name for myself until I killed the wrong person. I drew the interest of SHIELD and they send their best assassin after me. The rest of the story you know already."

"Ok, your story is much worse than mine", replied Sara after a few minutes and both women laughed.

"Nearly every superhero has a bad history or origin story, without it we wouldn't be the persons we are."

"Very true. When you say seduce, did that include women too?"

"Sometimes yes, but women don't react in the same way as men to the tactics I usually use, they require a more subtle method." Natasha's eyes twinkled.

"I feel honoured", replied Sara and grinned.

"You should be. I did not get my code name for trivial reasons, I earned it with my actions and it is an honorary title with a respectable reputation in certain circles."

"How are you called?"

"I am called the Black Widow."

"The Black Widow? Like the spider?"

"Yes." Natasha smirked. She always enjoyed the first reactions her name generated, when she gave it to someone who knew what she did for a living.

"This sounds very alarming and dangerous." Sara hesitated deliberately. "I like dangerous. Your code name is sexy." She smiled flirtingly at Natasha. "I am called White Canary."

"That sounds sexy too." Natasha smiled back in the same way; she really liked the other woman.

Sara had nearly showed the whole ship to Natasha. All the while, the women had flirted and exchanged stories.

If they encountered crewmembers of the Waverider, those only rolled their eyes and ignored the byplay between the two women. When Natasha asked them questions, they answered honestly, only occasionally searching permission with a gaze to Sara when it was a question which concerned the safety of the ship.

Usually Sara nodded; only a few times she shook her head, but explained to Natasha why she for the moment didn't want to answer the question. Natasha always accepted the refusal with grace and did not ask further.

Finally, both women stood before the mess hall.

"Okay, this is the last room. Want to meet and speak with our resident master thief and ship muscle?"

"Sounds like a plan. I'm curious if Clint is his usual self or if he did make friends."

"This sounds ominous."

"Clint is not very patient with people he doesn't like." Natasha shrugged. "It is a long time since he made friends for himself and he reacted very well to Mr. Rory."

"I'm right, it sounds very ominous." Sara entered the mess hall laughing und Natasha followed her grinning.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The three men heard laughing before the door opened, Mick and Leonard recognized the voice of Sara. Sara walked in, after her followed Natasha, who grinned mischievously.

Barton leaned surprised back against his chair and then started to smile. "Interesting", was the only thing he said.

Natasha walked to him and sat on the chair beside him.

Clint took his bow from the chair on the other side of him and laid it on the table behind him. "You want to sit beside me, Captain?" he asked politely.

"Thank you, Agent Barton." If she was honest, this show of trust pleasantly surprised her; after all, Agent Barton allowed it with this gesture, that his weapon was no longer in his direct reach.

"Please call me Clint. Natasha?"

"They are honest; I recommend helping them. We should give them the parts they need and if they want technical support."

"I agree with your assessment and will support your recommendation." Clint looked at Sara. "SHIELD will help you."

More than a little baffled Sara looked to Leonard and Mick who looked equally stumped. "But why? Not that I am not glad about your decision but I mean, so much I didn't tell you about us neither."

Natasha smiled a little sadly but before she could answer, Clint laid a hand on her arm and a tension Sara had not really registered before in Natasha relaxed.

"You told her enough, Captain Lance, but what is more important, you showed her enough. It is Nat's special skill set to get information out of seemingly harmless remarks and she is very talented in interpreting your body language."

"Well, you told me, you had a reputation because of your skill set", said Sara philosophical and smiled at Natasha to show her that she hold no grudges.

"You are better at guarding yourself than most others I have encountered", replied Natasha relieved about Sara's reaction.

"Wow, you should be honoured, a compliment from the Black Widow", said Clint.

"Natasha told me her codename. Do you have one too?" asked Sara curious.

"I'm called Hawkeye."

"And why?" asked Snart, intrigued about the things he had just learned.

"Because I see everything and I never miss." The reply came so confident and without any boasting, that the legends took a double take.

"Really?" asked Sara a little sceptical. "I mean, not that I want to call you a liar, but I know Green Arrow and he is better with a bow than everyone else I have ever met."

Clint shrugged, not offended. "I have never met anyone who is better than me."

Snart and Rory exchanged looks. Now, that was a man, who was self-assured in his skills and it was telling that he was not offended and did see it as unnecessary to repeat his statement when someone questioned his skills.

"Clint is really this world's foremost sharp shooter. And I have never seen him miss", confirmed Natasha the claim of her partner.

"Well, I would love to see you shoot one day", said Sara.

"I'm sure that can be arranged", replied Clint.

"Ok, you will help us. That is great, we like you, and this Earth gave us one of the nicest receptions we ever get. But how will be proceed from here?" asked Snart. "As I see it, we cannot simply go in the city and bought the parts we need, they are a little too special for that."

This time it was Natasha and Clint who exchanged looks. After a silent debate between them, which consisted of looks, shrugs and the raising of eyebrows it was Clint, who answered the question.

"You are of course right, you can't go in the city but you can't stay here either. Your crash caused a stir among some parties you do not want to meet. SHIELD wants you gone before you can create real trouble but other fractions will want your technology for themselves. The real question is here, how far are you willing to trust us?"

"We can bring you to our ship, where you will protected against curious eyes. There we will have the parts you need or we can acquire them, and we can give you technical support too. The downside for you is that you will be surrounded by SHIELD agents", explained Natasha further.

"No offense, we would be ready to trust you but what is with your superiors?" asked Sara.

"Our ship is on the way and Fury and Coulson are on board, but neither of them would come to the Waverider for security reasons", thought Clint aloud and Natasha nodded approving. "How it is, if we brought a few of you to the helicarrier so that you can meet our boss personally and get your own impression?"

"Or if you prefer it, we can use your shuttle", added Natasha accommodating.

"Or that but I can't promise you that our superiors wouldn't want to search your shuttle to prevent unpleasant surprises."

Sara, Leonard and Mick looked unsure at each other; this was something the entire crew had to discuss and to decide.

"It will be a few hours until our ship is here, enough time that you and your crew can discuss this in peace. Nat and I would get back to our ship and report to our superiors. Is that alright for you?"

Sara really liked how upfront Clint and Natasha were on everything, they really tried to make them comfortable and at ease with everything. And if it would be only the two of them she would have no concerns but Snart was right, they had bosses and they did not know if these were trustworthy.

"Yes I think it would be best if you report back and I will speak with my crew. After that we all will know more."

Natasha and Clint stood up and Clint took his bow.

"Rory, could you bring our guests to their ship?"

"Yes." Rory grinned at Natasha. "You are very pretty. Can I call you Nat?"

Natasha stared unimpressed at him. "No, and if you try it I will disembowel you and choke you with your entrails."

"She is serious, is she?" asked Mick pensive.

Clint grinned, familiar with these threats and the reactions of others. "Deadly, Black Widow doesn't make empty threats and she can do it without breaking a sweat."

"You are a very scary woman", said Mick admiringly.

"Thank you", replied Natasha and her mouth twitched.

Sara only sighed, at this point they were usually fighting for their life because not everyone was willing to put up with Mick testing their limits.

It really took a special brand of crazy to take Rory and his ways so unruffled and then to shut him down so effortlessly and thoroughly.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

As soon as Clint and Natasha had left the ship, Sara spoke to Gideon. "I assume you had them under observation?"

"Yes, Captain, there were no incidents which could call their good intentions into question. As far as I can say they got nothing from us which they could use against us."

"Let's be real, Gideon, at the moment we are at SHIELD's mercy but I consider it a good sign that they try to accommodate us and are willing to give us time", said Leonard dispassionately.

"I agree. Gideon, please call the crew to the bridge, we have to speak."

"Yes, Captain."

As soon as the crew had gathered on the bridge, Sara told them everything that had occurred and spoken between her and Agent Romanoff. Then Rory and Snart told about their conservation with Agent Barton and their impressions of him.

"So SHIELD can be potentially dangerous to us but you all are the opinion that they are honest and want to help us?" summed up Amaya.

"Yes", answered Sara convinced, Rory and Snart nodded.

"Will you fly with them?" asked Stein.

"Yes, as a show of trust. To be honest, it would be illogical to fly with our shuttle. Even if it turns out that SHIELD is hostile, we would never get the chance to flee with it. It is better it remains here so that you can use it to free us if it becomes necessary."

"And you want to fly with their ship", added Jax smirking.

"And I want to fly with their ship", agreed Sara.

"Who do you want to take with you?" asked Nate curiously.

"I want to take an engineer with me. Zari, would you come with me?"

"Yes, I'm curious about their ship too."

"As third man I thought about Nate or Snart, if you want to volunteer?"

"What is with me?" asked Rory seemingly offended.

"No, we want to meet their boss and I want to make a good first impression", replied Sara dryly. "I doubt that every SHIELD agent is so nonchalant and unimpressed with your antics than Barton and Romanoff."

"You are no fun."

"I would love to go, I mean, to learn about a complete new history of another Earth, it will be fascinating."

Snart nodded. "I agree, not with the learning, but you should at least take one crewmember with you who has special abilities so that he can assist you in a fight. Not that I am bad at that but Nate can become steel and make himself invincible."

"All of you agree with this approach?" asked Sara. There was general nodding. "Gideon, can you contact Agent Barton or Agent Romanoff?"

"They are speaking with their superiors."

"Can you understand them?" asked Snart.

"No, Mr. Snart, the transmissions are scrambled and at this point I know not enough to crack them."

"Perhaps it is better so", shrugged Sara. "Gideon, did you find videos how the Avengers fought against the invaders?"

"Yes, they are spectacular."

"Now would be a good opportunity to watch them, we should know who we might get involved with."

The legends watched captivated the videos.

"And I always thought of our group as a colourful mix", said Stein amazed.

"Yes, they are certainly extraordinary", replied Sara baffled. Now that she had seen Natasha in action she more than before wanted to spare with her, it would be thrilling.

"I didn't see Clint shoot", nagged Rory dissatisfied.

"He is a sniper, he certainly shot from a higher vantage point", answered Snart tolerantly. "But what I did see was a lot of these gliders explode when nobody of the others were in their vicinity."

Rory's face brightened. "I will have to watch the videos again or are there more of them, Gideon?"

"There are more, Mr. Rory. I only showed you the videos with the best quality."

"Oh good, come, Leonard, let's watch some more."

Snart shrugged and followed his friend.

Sara sighed. "Gideon, as soon as you can contact Natasha or Clint, tell them that we will come with them on their ship. You can tell them too, who will accompany me and why."

"Yes, Captain, I assume without the reason Mr. Snart mentioned."

"Yes, Gideon, for now we do not want to tell SHIELD what some of us can do."

"Well, if Ms. Romanoff as good as you said she is, she will surely know that we have secrets of our own", said Stein softly.

"Yes I think she knows. And it is entirely possible that Agent Barton noticed some things too. But as Mr. Snart said, we don't have much of a choice."


	7. Chapter 7

_I'm sorry for the long wait, I was so busy with real life and work that I had no time to write._

**Chapter 7**

Clint sat in the cockpit on the pilot's seat with Natasha standing beside him and called the helicarrier. "Here is Agent Barton, reporting about the contact with the foreign ship."

Coulson appeared on the screen. "One moment, Agent Barton, I transfer the call to the director."

Clint and Natasha waited patiently. They knew that Coulson would want to take part in the conference too.

Five minutes later Fury did take the call, Coulson standing behind him. "Report, Agents."

"They are trustworthy." Natasha shrugged. "At least about who they are, why they are here and how they landed here. There are a few things they don't want to tell us and I believe there are some private secrets they are holding back to protect themselves. I think, as long as we are honest in our dealings with them these secrets are of no danger to us."

"Agent Barton?"

"I agree. Snart and Rory are long-time partners in crime with a few rough patches and I believe they were really good in their chosen profession. They are now, I will not say on the straight and narrow but honest enough.

Clever, street smart and direct, complicated deception is not in their nature as long as they don't plan a heist. Ruthless if needed or when someone crosses them. Both are separately dangerous enough but when they work together…" Clint shrugged.

Coulson lifted his eyebrow. "Interesting, you mean in the same way as you and Natasha?"

"Yes, they can create enough damage and chaos on their own but when they decide to create it together..." Clint smirked. "I like them."

Coulson sighed resignedly. "I see. You are rooting for them?"

"Yes, boss."

Clint and Natasha reported than alternately over the talks they had with the varied crewmembers including the thoughts or impressions they had meanwhile or the times they had the feeling that there were points they were missing.

At last, they told Fury and Coulson that Sara Lance wanted to meet Fury face to face to make sure she could trust SHIELD and the suggestions they had made in this regard to the Captain of the Waverider.

"I would like to meet her too." Fury looked contemplative. "Both options to come to the helicarrier are acceptable for me. What do you think she will choose?"

Clint answered as the strategist of the pair when Coulson was not together with them on a mission. "She will fly with us. She will leave the shuttle to those remaining on the time ship so that these have a chance to escape when it turns out that we lied to her."

Natasha smiled and added. "And Sara wants to fly with the quinjet."

"Will she come alone?" asked Coulson.

"No, I think she will come with at least two other members of her crew", answered Natasha.

"Yes, one mechanic to see if we have the required parts to repair their ship and one to watch her back", added Clint.

"So, whoever she brings along as backup is one to watch for", concluded Coulson.

Clint hesitated. "In a way. I think she will bring someone, who gives her a defensive advantage. She possesses enough offensive abilities; she doesn't need somebody else to fight because she moves the same way as Natasha and I."

Natasha nodded. "Yes she has a training as an assassin."

"Will she bring Snart or Rory?" asked Fury curious; he really wanted to meet them. When Barton liked somebody like this, they were always worthy to meet and usually really interesting characters. The last person Barton had taken a similar liking too had been Natasha and they all knew how that had turned out.

"Not Rory", Clint smirked. "But Snart is quite a possibility, he can think on his feet."

"Well, we really want to help them so I will get to meet them later." Fury looked thoughtful. "Tell Captain Lance, that I am looking forward to meeting her. And if she wants a few of her crew members accompanying her, tell her that up to three are acceptable."

"Yes, director", answered Natasha.

"We will be on your position in one hour. Coulson will sent you coordinates as soon as you are airborne because the helicarrier will be in stealth-modus."

"Yes, director", answered Clint this time. "We will contact you again as soon as we know who will come and how."

"Give the info to Coulson, I will make time for Captain Lance." Fury cancelled the connection.

As soon as Fury was no longer on the line, Gideon called. "Agent Barton, Agent Romanoff. Captain Lance wants to fly with your ship. She asks if it is okay that Zari Tomaz and Nate Heywood accompany her.

Miss Tomaz is one of our mechanics, who can check out if you have the parts we need for the repair of our ship. Mister Heywood is historian and well versed in the history of our world if you have questions about it."

"That is satisfactory. Director Fury formally invites Captain Lance to the helicarrier, he looks forward to meeting her", replied Natasha. "Agent Coulson will be in the meeting too."

"Thank you, I will give the invite to Captain Lance. When can we fly?"

"As soon as they are on board, the helicarrier is one hour out", replied Clint.

Sara who had listened in spoke up. "We will be out in ten minutes."

"We are ready", answered Natasha and smiled. She was looking forward to getting to know Sara better.


	8. Chapter 8

_It's funny how sometimes the chapter writes itself and sometimes you have to fight for every word. This chapter belongs for me clearly to the latter._

**Chapter 8**

Natasha waited on the ramp of the quinjet for the three legends. "Welcome on board! Sara, if you want you can sit next to Agent Barton on the co-pilot-seat.

Miss Tomaz, Mr. Heywood, please sit down and buckle up, I am sure you have the same safety rules on planes. I will sit with you to answer your questions when I am allowed."

Sara walked with a delighted smile up to the cockpit.

Clint turned to her. "Welcome on board. Sit down and buckle up, please."

Sara obeyed and then looked at the cockpit; the arrangement of the various instruments was not so different from what she knew on her earth.

Clint called the helicarrier. "Here is Agent Barton, we are taking off. Requesting flight coordinates for approach."

"Here is helicarrier, transmitting flight coordinates."

Clint verified the coordinates and calculated them in his head. "Coordinates are received, next contact by approach."

"Confirmed, Agent Barton."

Sara watched fascinated as the little ship rose vertically from the ground and then turned on its own axis. Barton accelerated the quinjet and Sara was through the centrifugal forces pushed back in the seat. "Wow."

"Yes, not bad for such a little ship, I love to fly them." Barton smiled at her. "Ok, it may be no competition for your ship but to fly something like this has its charms too."

"Absolutely", agreed Sara exited. "How fast can it fly?"

Barton hesitated shortly than answered. "I can't tell you its exact velocity but it is faster than any airline airplane on this world."

"No problem." Sara recognized a few instruments only used in combat aircrafts. "I will not ask how it is armed."

"I wouldn't answer you anyway." Both laughed. They had left the land mass and now flew over the ocean.

"How long until we land on your ship?"

"Thirty, forty minutes. A security team will await you which brings you directly to Director Fury."

"You and Agent Romanov won't be there?"

"We will join you later. It is a new safety protocol; they will examine us first at the infirmary. We were alone on your ship; you could have taken control of us and maybe forced us to make this positive report about you."

Sara saw the pinched expression around Clint's mouth and remembered what Coulson had said or what Snart had told her about the chat between Clint and Mick. This man knew what he was talking about when he mentioned mind control.

"Well, I see no trouble with that because we didn't force you or Natasha to do anything", was the only thing Sara said.

"Correct." Barton concentrated on his instruments and Sara enjoyed the flight, it did feel really different in such a little ship. From time to time, she asked Clint questions about the quinjet, which he would sometimes answer and sometimes not.

"Here is Agent Barton, approaching helicarrier. Asking for landing permission."

"Landing permission granted, Agent Barton. How was the flight?"

"Quiet and cozy."

"Good to hear. Over and out."

"Let me guess, the last was a code phrase that we have not hijacked you?" asked Sara amused.

Barton smirked at her and didn't answer.

Sara laughed and looked down at the water; she frowned because she couldn't see the ship. "I thought we are approaching the ship, why can't I see it?"

"You look in the wrong direction", answered Barton and nodded out of the window. "Look ahead."

Sara raised her head and saw an aircraft carrier that hovered in front of her in the air, carried by four massive turbines. "Oh my, now that is something you don't see every day. I thought SHIELD didn't like attention, this is not very inconspicuous."

"Fury is not the type who does inconspicuous. You will know what I mean when you meet him. And secondly, who says that we are visible from the ground?" laughed Barton. "It is not a camouflage shield, also a technical device but rather panels that reflect the light and make the ship invisible from the ground."

"Very ingenious. Can I show it to the others?"

Barton activated the intercom. "I invite our other passengers to the cockpit. But please hurry, we are approaching the ship and you have to prepare for the landing."

Not long after were standing Zari and Nate behind her. Nate whistled through his teeth and Zari murmured a comment in her mother language that make Barton laugh.

"You understood that?" asked she surprised.

"It is useful for a spy to speak many languages. But to be honest I understand your language better then speak it."

"Which is more than most others can."

"Ok, folks, please return to your seats." Barton waited until he got Natasha's sign that his passengers were sitting securely before he started his landing manoeuvre.

They landed near the aircraft carrier bridge where Barton saw Coulson already waiting with two SHIELD teams.

Barton activated the intercom again. "We are landed. The helicarrier is at a height where you can breathe without difficulty, it is also safe for you to leave the quinjet.

Agent Coulson is waiting to bring you to Director Fury. Agent Romanov and I will join you after our examination."

Barton shut everything down and then nodded at Sara. "You can leave the quinjet."

Sara stood up and Barton followed her. Natasha was already by the ramp, Zari and Nate standing beside her. As soon as Sara was beside her, Natasha opened the ramp and she left the quinjet first.

Sara observed that the men and women who stood by Coulson tensed and were ready for hostile actions; they relaxed only after Barton left the quinjet last.

Coulson walked to them and smiled. "Welcome aboard, Captain Lance, it is nice to finally meet you personally. Would you like to introduce your teammates?"

"Thank you for having us. Zari Tomaz, one of our ship mechanics. Nate Heywood, our expert for history."

"Welcome aboard too. Miss Tomaz, our deputy chief engineer stands by to show you the ship if you want too or you can come with us, it is up to you."

"I think I prefer to tour the ship and machine room, so I can see if you have the parts we need." Zari smiled. "However after I have seen your ship I don't doubt it."

"Please understand that you will be escorted by security personnel."

"That is reasonable."

"Mr. Mackenzie, please show our guest the ship."

"Yes, sir", answered a big black man, stepped forward and held out his hand to Zari. "I am Alphonso Mackenzie but you can call me Mack."

"Thank you, Mack, I am Zari."

Both mechanics then immediately fell into technical jargon and walked away.

Coulson smiled at Nate. "Mr. Heywood, welcome, I imagine a historian is a useful man to have in a crew who deals with time travel. I am a historian as well, if only as a hobby, perhaps we can sometimes talk about the differences in the history of our earths."

"You are not wrong; it has saved our lives a couple of times. And it would be a sincere pleasure for me to talk with you about the differences."

"Captain Lance, Mr. Heywood, please follow me. Agent Romanov, Agent Barton, you will go with the other team to the infirmary."

"Yes sir", answered both agents simultaneously.

The group split up to go to their different destinations.


	9. Chapter 9

_Sorry again for the long break, work and real life was a little too much and I simply didn't have time to write but it has now quieted down a little. _

_Furthermore I have now my vacation, so with a little luck you get the next update a little faster._

**Chapter 9**

Coulson watched how alert Captain Lance watched her surroundings and how she moved, she had clearly the same kind of training as Natasha and Clint.

But to be fair, Clint had never gotten any regular training, all his skills he had acquired the hard way and sometimes Coulson wondered how good Clint would be if he had gotten the same training as Natasha, not that he would wish this kind of training on anyone.

He was curious how she would react to Fury. You could learn much about people in the way they reacted to him. It was a secret hobby of him to be present when new people met Fury, the range of the reactions was from hilarious to downright intimidated.

However, Barton's first interaction with Fury would always be his favourite. He had asked if the coat was a component of the uniforms of SHIELD and as Fury denied that, he said, well, rank certainly seems to have cool privileges by SHIELD and how much time it would take for him to get the same privileges. At the impressive glare from Fury Barton had only shrugged and asked for the name of Fury's tailor to get a leather coat like this. Fury how ewer couldn't fool Coulson who had seen the twitch of Fury's mouth and knew his friend too well to not know that Fury was secretly delighted.

"This ship is impressive. I would never have thought that it is possible to get a ship of this weight and size in the air", said Nate excited.

"Thank you, Mr. Heywood, it was certainly a challenge." Coulson smiled at the enthusiastic historian, he liked the man, in some ways he reminded him of Steve Rogers.

Sara smiled too, this trip was a highlight for Nate, a complete new history to learn and superheroes who defended Earth against an Alien Invasion. She had to admit, she liked the trip too, it was so enjoyable to meet an organisation who didn't want to kill them on first sight and who tried to be friendly.

To meet Coulson in person only solidified the impression she had won from him during their first brief conversation. He looked with his suit like a paper-pusher and an accountant but Sara had felt the calluses on his hand that came from holding a gun and had seen the old knuckles injuries that told her he could fight hand to hand as well.

Everything about him said forget me, overlook me, ignore me and Sara admired the camouflage this man could so effortlessly pull off. Sometimes she wished some members of her crew could be so inconspicuous too. To underestimate Coulson would be the greatest mistake an enemy would ever make.

And there was another thing too. Every member of the crew was on high alert, certainly a remnant from the invasion und every time when someone met them in the corridor and recognized them as strangers, roamed the hand of this person to their gun until they saw Coulson, then they relaxed promptly. Their respect for him was clearly visible.

They walked ca. 10 minutes through the ship but Sara was convinced that there was a much faster way. She really liked that about SHIELD, they tried to be friendly but took precautions too.

Finally, they came to a door with two soldiers in black uniforms, who didn't relax as they saw Coulson.

Coulson nodded at them. "Stand down, Director Fury awaits us."

"One moment please, Agent Coulson", replied the older black man, who was really huge. He murmured in his walkie-talkie and whatever he heard as answer let him relax. "You and the visitors can come in." He and his colleagues stood aside.

"Thank you, agents." Coulson opened the door and walked through, Sara and Nate followed him.

Behind the door waited an older man with an eyepatch and a black leather coat. There was intelligence and cunning in his remaining eye. "Welcome to our earth, Captain Lance, Mr. Heyworth. I am Nick Fury, the director of SHIELD." He reached out with his hand.

"Thank you, Director Fury, especially for your friendly reception; we are really not used to that." Sara took the hand and looked Fury in the eyes. "Wow, Agent Barton certainly not exaggerated."

Fury glared. "What did he say?"

"That you don't do inconspicuous", replied Sara.

Coulson chuckled. "Trust Barton to find the right words."

Fury sighed. "Please, take a seat, Captain Lance, Mr. Heywood. You too, Coulson." He looked at the escort who had followed them in. "You can go. When Agent Romanov and Barton come from their examination they can come in."

"Yes, sir." The men saluted and left the room.

"The room was a little too crowded for my taste." Fury looked her in the eyes. "And I don't think that I am in danger from you."

"I thought you would have to wait for the results of the examinations."

"I got the results; Agent Romanov and Barton are alright and not compromised. They are on the way to us. Let us wait until they are here. Would you like something to eat or drink?"

"A cup of coffee would be nice", answered Nate shyly, he found Fury's presence very intimidating even though he had powers of his own.

"Captain Lance?" asked Coulson.

"Yes, thank you."

Coulson stood up and took a tray with a thermos and cups from a sideboard. "Boss?"

"Yes, please." Fury waited until everyone had a cup of coffee before he took the first sip and grimaced.

Sara smiled at him and took a sip too. It was good coffee. "Not a coffee drinker, are you?"

"I prefer tea but don't tell anyone."

"Yes it would be bad for his reputation", agreed Coulson solemnly.

"Very funny, Cheese."

"You don't need to drink the coffee on my account but thank you for the nice gesture", said Sara smiling.

"It is my pleasure."

The next 15 minutes Sara and Nate told a little about their earth, pretty much what they had already told Natasha and Clint.

Then there was a polite knock on the door.

"Come in, Agent Romanov", said Fury loudly. The door opened and Natasha and Clint entered the door.

"How did you know, it was Agent Romanov?" asked Nate curious.

"Agent Barton doesn't knock", answered Fury grumpily.

"Never?"

"Never", confirmed Coulson with a smirk. "If Barton would ever knock, it would be a very bad sign and I would shoot him on sight."

"That is not nice, you wound me, boss", said Barton and pouted overstated.

"I doubt it", replied Coulson deadpan.

"Take a cup too if you want and sit down, we have to talk, Agents", stopped Fury the banter.

"Yes sir", answered Romanov and Barton simultaneously, their respect was clearly to see.


	10. Chapter 10

I love vacations, so here is the next chapter.

Tony Stark is mentioned, I don't like him so it is not positive but everything is according to canon. This will be the only time I will mention him and he will not appear in this story.

**Chapter 10**

Fury waited patiently until Romanov and Barton had sat down before he began to talk. "As Agent Barton and Romanow already told you, did your crash caught the attention from several other parties. I talk about various terrorists groups, other countries and fractions of our government too. One of these fractions is the Council who sort of oversees SHIELD."

Sara frowned. "If this Council oversees you why do call them another party?"

Fury changed looks with Coulson who nodded. "I don't trust the Council and their decisions anymore; they tried to nuke New York City during the invasion. Agent Coulson investigates the Council for me and he found out some things I don't like very much. If they get to your ship before me there isn't much I can do for you or your crew."

"But if my ship is on your helicarrier…"

"I can hold them off for a while." Fury hesitated. "The attack they ordered on New York is a mayor bargaining chip which I don't want to use unnecessary. The faster your ship is on the helicarrier the faster the Council has the impression that I have you under control."

Fury smirked sardonic. "And they won't try to interfere except perhaps that they send a representative who wants to talk to you. It gives us enough time to repair your ship and then sent you away."

"You seem very eager to get rid of us again", commented Nate curiously.

"Honestly, your arrival disrupted a certain balance, which we had worked hard to regain after the invasion. So excited and pleased I am as an individual to meet and talk to you, as the director of SHIELD I have other priorities and duties." Fury fixated Sara. "I want to help you but if I have to sacrifice you I will do it without hesitation."

Sara saw the honesty but the ruthlessness too. It was really refreshing to meet a man like this who said beforehand that he would betray you if it was necessary. "Will we get a warning if it comes to this?"

Fury looked again at Coulson. "What do you think?"

"I am on board", replied Coulson. "Natasha, Clint?"

Natasha smiled. "I will hold a close contact with the representative and I will notice it when the wind changes."

"Agent Coulson will be your liaison as long as you are on board. He knows enough about this ship to get you a head start."

"I can guarantee you 15 minutes", said Coulson quietly.

Sara had noticed that Barton had kept his silence. "What is with you, Clint?"

Barton smiled a little strange. "I will be the scapegoat. The Council will want to see blood for this and they will be thrilled and very happy to believe that I helped you escape." He shrugged. "I'm anyway on thin ice with them after Loki brainwashed me. If it were not for Fury I would still sit in one of their cells and let's express it so I have gotten better treatment from my enemies."

Sara looked shocked at Fury who nodded. "I cashed in more than a few favours to get Barton out of this mess and I am still running interference so that he remains free. It isn't right that he pays for Loki's crimes."

"Thanks for this, boss." Barton grinned cheekily even if his smile didn't reach his eyes. "Does this mean I can shoot you a second time in the chest?"

"Sorry, Barton, that was a once in a lifetime opportunity", answered Fury brusquely and glared at Barton.

Natasha smiled at the insolence of her partner. "See it so, Barton, you got to do something every SHIELD agent has dreamed to do more than once."

Fury ignored her and asked Sara, "Is this something you can live with, Captain Lance?"

"If you mean do I trust you to keep your promises, yes I do." Sara looked at Barton. "If you talk about letting Barton take the fall, no, I can't live with that."

"With a little luck it will not come to this", appeased Coulson her concerns. "Remember, this is the worst-case-scenario. And I will make sure that Clint gets away too."

"Yeah, no worry, as soon as I have left the helicarrier, I am in the wind and the Council will have no chance in ever finding me", reassured Clint, who did not look bothered in the least by the thought to lead a life on the run.

"And we will know where to find you", agreed Natasha and smirked.

"Where else should I be?" shrugged Clint.

"I don't know what to say", said Sara in a thickly voice.

Barton smiled at her. "If it comes to this, a simple 'Thank you' is enough."

"Talk with your crew and explain everything to them. I will declare your ship off limits so that you and we will have a safe place to talk. My office is secure too but you can't come here too often, it would arouse suspicion." Fury looked a little wistful. "Perhaps I could get a guided tour through your ship and I would really like to meet your crew, especially Mr. Rory and Mr. Snart."

Sara laughed. "You will get your tour and if you want to meet these two that can be arranged too. I am sure you can hold your own against them."

"As soon as your ship is on board, you and your crew will get a guided tour too. Coulson will get your access cards to the areas of the ship, which are not restricted." Fury hesitated. "There will be always agents who watch you."

"That is acceptable. Thank you for your hospitality."

Coulson suddenly looked alert, tilted his head to the side and put a finger to his ear.

"What is it, Coulson?" asked Fury, who knew his right-hand-man too well.

"It seems, Captain Rogers was informed about the crash, he acquired a quinjet and convinced an agent to fly him here, Banner is with him too."

"Hm, interesting. Find out who told him!"

"I will. What are your orders?"

"Give the quinjet a landing permission and let someone escort Mr. Rogers and Mr. Banner to my office so that they get to meet Captain Lance and Mr. Heywood. They are probably concerned about another invasion and this will calm them down.

And speak with the pilot, I know Captain Rogers can be awe-inspiring but I expect better from a SHIELD agent."

"Yes, boss, I will have stern words with him." Coulson then murmured in his head set. "They just landed and will be here in a few minutes."

"Good. Captain Lance, do you want to speak with Miss Tomaz?"

"That would be nice, so I can ask her if you can help us with the spare parts."

"Mr. Mackenzie, do you copy?!" spoke Fury in the air.

"Yes, sir."

"Please give Miss Tomaz a head set, her Captain wants to speak with her."

A minute later Sara could hear Zari. "Here is Tomaz. What is it, Sara?"

"I wanted to ask if you are alright and if SHIELD has the parts we need."

"Yes to both questions. This ship is so amazing", gushed Zari.

"I am glad you are having fun, here is everything alright too", replied Sara drily.

"Oh good. Bye, Captain."

Shaking her head, Sara turned to Fury. "Thank you, it seems my mechanic is in heaven."

"It is always good to make your mechanics happy", replied Fury smirking. "You will meet two other Avengers in a few minutes.

Steve Rogers, Captain America, is the teamleader, he is enhanced and was for seventy years frozen in the ice. To your information, he fought in the Second World War and still has a culture shock because of the second-one century, so be nice to him." Fury looked to Nate. "Did you have a war against the Nazis too?"

"Yes, director."

"Oh good to know. Mr. Banner has numerous doctorates in various fields and he has serious anger management issues. Don't make him angry otherwise we have an appearance from his alter ego, the Hulk. I got my helicarrier just repaired after his last appearance."

"Yes, it was a heavy hit for our budget", winced Coulson and sounded for a moment really like an accountant.

"We watched the videos on your internet."

"Well, Thor is an Asgardian and is called the god of thunder, his people were on our planet several hundred years ago so he is mentioned in our legends. Loki, his adoptive brother was the leader of the invasion. Thor brought Loki to their dad for punishment, he is still in Asgard and I don't know when he will be back.

And then is there Tony Stark, Iron Man, a billionaire who made his money with the sale of weapons and sees securing world peace as his hobby, which he only does, when he feels like it, if it has benefits for him or when he needs attention, which is always the case."

"Will I meet him too?" asked Sara.

"If you want." Fury shrugged, there hasn't been much warmth in his voice as he had spoken about Stark, it was quite the opposite to how he had spoken about Rogers, Banner and Thor.

"If you meet him, be prepared for sexual harassment and lewd remarks", warned Natasha.

"Yes, he will call you stupid nicknames which only he finds funny. And never tell him personal details, he will use them against you to make digs at you or too make fun of you. He is the asshole I was Leonard and Mick telling about", added Barton.

"If I meet him and he makes lewd remarks, can I hit him?" asked Sara, she didn't have much patience with this kind of man.

"Be my guest", answered Fury and grinned at the idea.

There was a knock at the door and Fury stood up. "Come in."

The door opened and two men came in.


	11. Chapter 11

As I said in my other story, sorry for the long break but my cat got ill and I had to put him to sleep a few weeks ago. I wasn't in the mood to write. I brought him as a kitten from the shelter and he was 16 years as he died.

And the story did take a turn I didn't expect *shrugs.

**Chapter 11**

It was a forceful entrance but Sara noted with amusement how both men stopped short as they saw that all people in the room sat peaceful together and were drinking coffee. Clearly, they had thought they were walking in a dangerous situation.

"Captain Rogers, Mr. Banner, so nice that you could join us so promptly and without me having to call you", said Fury with more than a little sarcasm.

"Director, Agent Coulson", replied stiffly the bigger of the two men who had entered the room. "Natasha, Clint, it is good to see you again." This time the tone in his voice was more genial.

"Cap", replied Barton and stood up. "Take a seat." He retreated to the wall where he had everyone in his sight.

Without hesitation took Steve Clint up to his offer, he knew that the archer preferred to be in the background anyway. The mousy appearing man with the brown hair took the remaining seat.

"Let me introduce our guests from another reality. This is Captain Sara Lance, she commands the ship which crash-landed here. This is Nate Heywood, a historian, who will tell us more about their reality.

Another member of the crew, Miss Zari Tomaz, their mechanic, is in the machine room to evaluate if we have the technical means to help them. We do by the way. They will come with their ship on board of the helicarrier to repair it.

Captain Lance, Captain Steve Rogers and Dr. Bruce Banner, two other members of the Avengers."

"So it is not another invasion?" asked Bruce visibly relieved.

"No, Dr. Banner, they only want our help to return home."

"Then welcome to our earth", smiled Steve Rogers. "Forgive us our dramatic entrance. We thought our friends were in danger. If we can do something to help you, feel free to ask."

"Thank you, Captain Rogers, this is very kind of you", replied Sara.

"Captain, Dr. Banner, what we now talk about can't leave this room otherwise it would put us all in danger", said Fury seriously and told the two newcomer everything that had been spoken in the room before their entrance.

The faces of both men grew more fierce with every world.

"I didn't know that the situation was so tense", said Steve finally softly.

"Ever since Loki first escaped with the tesseract and then was recaptured, the situation in SHIELD grows eerier and stranger", said Barton quietly.

"I don't know if I can trust some of my colleagues anymore, they act weirdly. They are hostile and I don't mean in the 'You worked for Loki, sabotaged the helicarrier and got other Shields agents killed' kind. It is as if they view other Shield Agents as enemies, as if they are double agents." Barton shook his head distraught. "And they act weirdly in your presence too, Steve."

"I noticed. They have become oddly helpful and smile at me as if we have a secret together." Steve shuddered. "And there is the encounter with my doppelganger. I first thought it was Loki but the timelines don't match. When I now think about him, I believe that it was me but from the future, he was older than me. And he said that Bucky is alive."

Coulson leaned forward. "You never told us that."

"I thought it was a trick to overpower me and I didn't want to talk about it."

"Like Barton said there has become something weird about SHIELD and it is especially conspicuous where the Strike Teams are concerned. There are more weird apples there than normal." Natasha looked spooked.

Coulson and Fury exchanged worried looks.

"Why did you never talk about it before?" asked Coulson curious.

"I thought at first that it was because of what I did under Loki's control and I have still some trouble to trust my own judgement after Loki's mindfuck", explained Barton taciturn. "But some of the things you said here started me thinking."

"I understand", answered Coulson gently.

"Barton, you are one of the sharpest men I know. You notice things and draw conclusions from them in a way, which no other man I know can do. You knew that the tesseract was a door, which opens to both sides before Eric Selvig and all the other scientists did.

The only ones who can keep up with you are Cheese, Natasha and Dr. Banner. Next time you notice something which you find weird and are concerned about, tell me", said Fury solemnly.

Barton looked down, evidently embarrassed. "Will do, boss."

"I agree", said Steve and smiled at Barton. "We really should look into it but let us first help Captain Lance and her crew to go back home."

"I am scientist; perhaps I can help you with the repair of your ship." Banner smiled bashfully. "And of course I would love to see your ship and the engines which allows it to time travel."

"So we all agree on this course of action?" asked Fury the Avengers. Everyone nodded and Fury smiled grimly. "So, let's do it."


End file.
